Celebrating Excellence in Restaurant Operations

Welcome to Crunchtime’s Ops Excellence Awards, a program that honors the outstanding achievements of restaurants and groups that have harnessed the power of Crunchtime to achieve unparalleled operational excellence. We believe that teams who support operations are the backbone of any successful restaurant organization, and we're thrilled to recognize those who have raised the bar in the industry.

Nominations are open September 15th - December 5th. To participate, simply fill out the form.

Success Story Requirements

Your story must include how your team leverages any of Crunchtime’s solutions (or multiple products) to level up your operations, including, but not limited to:

Managing food costs and inventory
Scheduling and labor management
Training and developing staff (TalentLink)
Executing standard operating procedures (Zenput)
Optimizing kitchen automation (QSR Automations)
Data and reports for business decision-making

Priority considerations will be given to stories that include success metrics (e.g., improved AvT by X%, increased guest satisfaction by X%, decreased staff scheduling time from 3 hours to half an hour, improved new hire time to competency by X%, decreased food cost by X%, employee turnover reduced by X%, improved kitchen throughput by X%, etc.).

Note: The story you submit doesn't have to be long or perfect. Please fill out our form with as many metrics as possible to the best of your ability. Our team will contact you to work with you to get additional details and refine your narrative.

Alternatively, you may submit a document with your answers to these questions to Thao Littler directly at tlittler@crunchtime.com.

Why participate

Elevated brand visibility - Leverage this awards program as a platform to increase your brand’s credibility and innovation in the market. Demonstrate your commitment to operational excellence and set yourself apart from your competition.

202507-Crunchtime-awards_b_@2x Recognition and prestige - Gain well-deserved recognition for your team’s outstanding accomplishments and showcase those efforts to industry peers, partners, investors, and current/future employees. SPB Hospitality won the 2024 Ops Excellence Award and enjoyed many accolades, including a press release.

Networking opportunities - Engage with like-minded professionals, industry leaders, and fellow Crunchtime customers during the awards ceremony during the 2026 Ops Summit.

Bonus: All award finalists will receive a complimentary ticket to Crunchtime’s Ops Summit! (one per company).

Success Metrics from Previous Nominees

Hover over or tap a box to reveal more

TOUCH

Saved $7 million annually with an average 1% reduction across 200+ locations

TOUCH

Managers across 3,000+ stores spend significantly less time scheduling with automated forecasting

TOUCH

~$11K/location in food costs saved, $1.23M in total

TOUCH

Overall compliance on critical tasks and execution of core programs were improved

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the deadline for submitting nominations

The deadline for submitting award nominations is EOD Friday, November 14th, 2025.

Will QSR Automations customers be able to participate in this awards program? Yes, we welcome (and encourage) submissions from QSR Automations customers, too!

Will these awards be recognizing individuals or teams/brands?

The Ops Excellence Awards will be recognizing teams and organizations.

What if our story doesn’t have clearly defined success metrics? Can we still enter?

Absolutely - we understand that not all successes are quantifiable. Please do your best to include as much detail as you can and if you have further questions on how to refine that story, we are happy to help with that as well. Simply reach out to our Customer Marketing Manager, Thao Littler, at tlittler@crunchtime.com for more information and assistance.

If my submission makes it to the finalist round, will I be reimbursed for my Crunchtime Ops Summit registration ticket?

If you are registered for this year's Crunchtime Ops Summit and your submission gets selected to be a finalist, we will contact you and either process a refund for your ticket or offer you a complimentary ticket for someone else on your team to attend the event.

What will my team receive if we win?

You or a representative from your team will be invited up on stage at Crunchtime’s Ops Summit to receive the award and share your success story. You will also be invited to participate in press, other media, and co-marketing initiatives after the event.

Can I forward this page to other colleagues for them to participate as well?

Absolutely! As long as they use one of Crunchtime’s solutions, they are welcome to enter a submission.

When can we expect to be notified if we’re finalists?

Finalists can expect to be notified in mid-December 2025.

What if I get notified that we’re finalists but I missed the email?

Rest assured that our team will do our due diligence to contact you beyond just sending one notification email. However, if we don’t hear back from you in a reasonable amount of time (~2 weeks after the initial notification), we may have to forfeit your finalist spot.

What if I have another question I don’t see listed here?

We are happy to answer all your questions related to the Ops Excellence Awards - simply reach out directly to our Customer Marketing Manager, Thao Littler, at tlittler@crunchtime.com.